Whenever I travel I bring my camera with me, at all times. Travelling is by far my biggest motivation and inspiration. The people you meet and the new environments you experience is for me the trigger to do more work. My main priority when documenting my surroundings is observing people and traces of them. For many years now I have been documenting the Promenade des Anglais in Nice, France. A lively beachwalk with tourists all year round but also a natural promenade for people resident in Nice. What interests me is the everyday life and the contrast between the people living here and the visitors. The clash of the extravagance and the ordinary.

I am also curious about what happens to this kind of destination when the beach restaurants have closed and when there’s rain instead of sunshine. During autumn and winter there aren’t much people and tourists. But still, the ones that are there, they go out regardless of the weather. I am now working on new projects exploring new destinations but also to dig deeper in human’s prescence in nature. The behavior we have when travelling is extraordinary and the need to document our stay is remarkable and often quite funny. The interest in beach environments started in Nice some years ago. People are very relaxed and in their own universes not aware of their surroundings. I also think that it is aesthetically beautiful. The images displayed here are all part of my photographic journey.

Joakim Blomquist was born in Zurich, but he grew up in Gothenburg, Sweden. He currently works as a photographer and Creative Director in Gothenburg, Sweden. He has a Bachelor’s degree from the School of Design and Crafts in Gothenburg and has studied Graphic Design at Camberwell College of Arts in London. He has been photographing all his life but has developed his photographic expression during the last ten years.

More about Joakim here and here and contact him for inquiries: joakim@joakimb.se

He had several exhibitions in the last years in Sweden.

Hope your are all well dear readers! Take good care! Yours, Melanie Kettner

“Design amplifies and accentuates our lives by giving everyday habits a special context, spirit and warmth, which makes the ordinary extraordinary.”
Ilse Crawford, A Frame For Life